Monday, September 19, 2016

So I'm in an odd
situation. In my profession, every day I am carrying on my person a G19,
2 reloads, soft armor, 2 flashlights, a high quality folder and a ok
quality boot knife. In my car, I have a patrol rifle with 4 reloads,
hard plates/carrier, shotgun, basic 1st aid, a case of MREs, a case of
bottled water, and a change of clothes.

I work in a major
metropolitan area in the deep South that has had BLM drama, and the farthest from my house I
ever am is about 15 miles. If stranded, I can easily call help, or if
comms are down, but the rule of law is still in effect,(read, the recent
flooding here) I can operate from my car, or at least the uniform will
be a flag to other emergency personnel that says "I'm part of the tribe.
Help me, because you'd want me to do the same if positions were
reversed".

My major concern
is being stranded and needing to get home if the rule of law is no
longer in effect (read riots). I see needing a backpack to stuff a few
MREs and some water into, as well as a 1st aid kit. I would need a
change of clothes so that I wasn't easily identified as a cop, if "cop"
became a target. I would need a serious "gunshot/tourniquet" first aid
kit in addition to the boo-boo type I already have. And I need a gun
that would be concealable more readily.

To that end, I
have a backpack in my car that has a Ruger LC 9 and a reload, a pair of
old jeans and a t-shirt, as well as an old Dickies work jacket in it. I
have a pair of tennis shoes, and a broke-in camo ball cap (it's about as
nondescript of a southern white boy hat as you can get).

The soft plate can be worn under a t-shirt and jacket without arising much comment.

My folding knife (a spyderco) and a flashlight (a smallish streamlight) can both be slipped into a pocket easily.

My backpack can hold a few MREs and 3 or 4 bottles of water.

All of the
clothes and backpack are faded, worn, and in subdued colors that blend
in to an urban background without saying "camouflage" the pants are
faded black jeans that fit loose, the t-shirt is a dark grey and blue
striped oversized affair, and the backpack is a 10 year old grey
Jansport.

I figure with a
good "gunshot/tourniquet" 1st aid kit and $150 in small bills, I should
be in as good a shape as possible to make it home, if the situation was
that it's safer to be a lone white guy walking the city rather than a
stranded cop. I know it's interesting, because when most people think
"E&E" they're evading the authorities. In my situation, I'm avoiding
an anti-authority mob.

Your
thoughts/input are appreciated, and feel free to make a blog post. I'm
enjoying the recent content, by the way. Quality is more important than
quantity, and you are nailing quality, right now.

-DL

Ryan here: First I want to note this is not a I want to to talk a little bit about the bag/ kit itself. To what you have discussed there I would consider the following:
-A city area map (the ones at any gas station) and a compass in a plastic bag.Walking is different than driving if you are going on a new (walking) route this is not the time to end up in the wrong place.
-Instead of MRE's could you be better served with a box of granola bars or protein bars? Eating an MRE main meal on the go is a hassle. Maybe 1x MRE and the balance in more snack ish foods?
-Spare batteries for your flashlights and maybe a work radio.
-A 'boo boo kit' to keep you moving. You mentioned 15 miles. I'm guessing you have not walked 15 miles (which could easily be 20+ as you would actually walk it avoiding say a big ole riot) in awhile. Some Ibuprophen, moleskin, athletic tape and band aids will go a long way to keeping you moving. Also consider a few of those peptol bismol tablets and anything else you use regularly. This stuff is also useful for normal life. Why not have this bag serve some non SHTF use?
-We could always add little stuff. I would probably include a lighter, couple of glow sticks and a wad of 550 cord. I like these add on type things so long as the total bulk of this stuff does not become overwhelming (in bulk or expense) its good to have options.
-Some capacity to transport that carbine. To me in most situations where you are using this kit for its intended purpose (vs incidentally borrowing a band aid, etc) you might want that AR, if just for use later at your planned destination. There are expensive ($200+) bags that can do this but a cheap $20 gym bag or a folding chair bag can work just fine. If nothing else provided you have a minute take CRITICAL PARTS from both long guns like say the bolts.

Also while not directly related to the topic Paul Howe did an excellent article on Active Shooter Equipment that you might want to consider. A kit set up like this should sit in every patrol cruiser. You may already have that covered but I wanted to throw this article out there. A system like this in a claymore pouch could easily be the lethal and emergency medical pieces of a larger system.

None of these ideas are particularly expensive. Stuff to consider.

The Concept:
Obviously unless you have to for work being near a riot is a bad idea. Give any protests a wide berth. I think you are going to want to use your car if at all possible. They will take a lot of abuse and still work, if just for a little while. Speed is security. I would only move on foot if you had no other option. In that situation you can do the math on whether wearing a uniform helps or hurts you. I suspect it would be preferable to be in your good ole boy camouflage.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Lucky Gunner does an interesting post on mounting optics to the AK platform. An Ultimak rail with an Aimpoint micro is probably the way to go for a defensive rifle. Honestly around the range you would need a scope you probably have the wrong rifle in a ( a 7.62x39 chambered) AK. That being said I can see the utility of a low variable or fixed power scope on one for older eyes or hunting where target discrimination (2 point not OK but 3 are, etc). For that option I would either use one of the side mounted rails or replace the whole top cover with a purpose made one. I know Texas Weapons Systems makes one and think Midwest Industries does too.

John Mosby talks Escape and Evasion 1 and 2. While I certainly would not disagree with anything John said I wish to put some emphasis on two points from the articles. First is physical fitness. If you are going to make some sort of gaping burst to get out of the immediate area they could cordon then make a slow determined slog to wherever you are going you have to be able to physically cover many miles under stress over multiple days. Second is consistently having some useful tools on your person and a more robust fighting load or get home bag readily available will give you a fighting chance to have some gear if things go down.

Take away's
1- Don't shoot people over stuff! Aside from ethical considerations we could look at it strictly from a financial angle. Lawyers and trials are really expensive.
2- Know your local laws. This might have been a different case in a place with a less restrictive rule of retreat.
3- Having a less lethal weapons bears consideration. A can of mace might have stopped this incident but that is unlikely. It might ave given the guy enough space to get out of these. More realistically it could have showed that the man was trying to use the smallest amount of force necessary and the much larger, younger man kept attacking.
4- This case was further muddled because while the family were probably in the wrong there was not a clear criminal act going on like say if one person owned or rented the shop and the other was trespassing.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

From my post on the planned Bucket Cache I got some good comments. From others it seems apparent I did not explain my concept of use clearly. I will reply to the comments below. Comments will be in bold and my replies will be in italics.

I've done this and think it's a great idea. I have several buckets and a
couple bags at various friends houses. Cheap kit that's theirs if they
need it. All I really added that you don't have is a change of clothes
(several weights of socks) and a rain jacket of some sort. I also tossed
in a couple of those draw string style backpack/gym bags that I
obtained free from various places. That way I can carry the gear if I'm
without my regular kit, or a second person can divide the load with me.

--L

Ryan here: A bag to carry the stuff is a good idea. Depending on space in the bucket after I add the planned stuff a set of clothes is a decent idea.

Don't go with the Tampons or anything of that ilk for a medical kit.
Just as cost effective and actually works are ABD pads, 7.09$ prime
shipping from Amazon. There are quite a few studies out there that
advise people not to use feminine hygiene products for trauma. Tampons
and Pads are used to soak up the blood and clot it internally where as
an ABD pad and gauze are made to speed clotting.

Kerlix or Rolled
Gauze, ABD pads and Gorilla tape are all low cost and effective first
aid supplies. They might cost you a little more than a box of tampons
but it works so much better. Throw in some triangular bandages with
safety pins, a couple of pairs of gloves and you have a good low cost
medical kit that you can make work for a lot of trauma situations.

These
three items are what a little over 30$ from amazon and you can make six
kits out of it, Two kerlix rolls, two Triangular bandages and say 4 abd
pads, wrap some duct tape around a Bic pen (Cut pen to length) or a
hotel key card, add a key ring or small carabiner to use with the
triangular bandage as a windlass for an impromptu tourniquet. Seal in a
zip-lock or vacuum bag, say 10$ top per kit for a good basic trauma
setup.

Ryan here: 1) My planned medical budget is like $3. I have an IFAK in my primary gear so the traumatic injury piece of the medical kit is an after thought. All joking aside I will look at budget options before going completely white trash IFAC.

Ryan here: I fear I didn't explain my plans correctly. I am not looking to hang out for any period of time. My goal is to have enough consumables to eat a good meal, maybe lie up for a few hours and then walk for another day.

In terms of food I am looking at calorie dense stuff that is ready to go but better if you heat it up. Something like a couple each of canned food, top ramen, oatmeal and tuna. Also probably a dozen granola bars for go food. I will not have the time or energy to boil up a pot of beans.

Anonymous
said...

5 pounds flour, pint powdered milk, salt, baking powder - make bannock,
gravy. Gill net - sure way to get fish. A few rounds of ammo for each of
your weapons. Fire starter kit. Knife. Oil for weapons. Small tools.

Ryan here: See the last post. I like where you are going for a survival cache but this is much more of a resupply of consumables to go a few more miles. As to the food I'm not going to cut a nice stick, start a fire and make some bannock. Heating up some ramen or chili is about the max amount of effort I would consider. As to the gill net I am not looking to sustain over the long term. Do not need tools to gather food, I need enough water and calories to get a few more miles down the road.

Anonymous
said...

I'm thinking a good multi-tool over a tool kit, though a small pair of
ignition pliers is a very versatile lightweight addition. The string
pack idea likewise is good - you want something that appears 'sheeple
friendly'.

Maybe a couple of 5 hour energy shots ? I don't know
their shelf life though. A water filter straw would also be a wise
choice as well.

Good ideas above - thank you for the post!

Ryan here: I'm not too worried about tools past a knife as my concept of use is on foot. Agree an option to carry the stuff is a good idea. A couple 5 hours or some caffeine pills is a good idea I will use.

A lot depends on your route/plans. Traveling over land through
forest/swamp would be different from traveling through urban or
suburban turf, etc.

Distance / time needed to sustain you would be important.

Most
of the time, you'd have your vehicle with you - at least to start out.
Make sure at least your vehicle kit is squared away before worrying
about caching stuff. Your vehicle = a cache on wheels.

Ryan here: I'll probably talk about this later but I have 4 plans to get home (PACE). The primary is my normal route. The alternate is a mounted route entirely separate from the first route to one general side of it. The contingency route is a mounted route entirely separate from the first two routes to the other general side of the alternate route.

Obviously utilizing my vehicle would be ideal. It is difficult
to foresee a situation where I couldn't make it over a few dozen miles
of rural land and small towns with three different routes mapped out.
Still since the first scenarios (drive home) are easy paying some
attention to the least pleasant and most difficult one makes some sense to me. In
addition to my get home bag and the naked bag that sits by it the daily
commuter has a variety of various work gear, probably 3 days of full
meals, a couple gallons of water, a good first aid kit and a wool
blanket.

The emergency route is dismounted. It is fairly direct but off the most major lines of drift. Since I would be on foot with basic navigation skills, a compass, map and general knowledge of the AO my options to move around obstacles are pretty good.

The general flow of my Emergency route is mostly through commercial (lumber) forests, near some small hobby farms and nearby a village or two. Depending on the exact situation I might go through more efforts to stay out of the villages. The goal for the cache is to let me eat for a little while while I took a rest and for another dozen(ish) miles of marching.

Well I hope that clears up my goal with the bucket cache. With the concept of use more readily defined if you all have any thoughts I'm interested in hearing them.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

I am planning on putting together another cache. In looking at lightening up my get home bag and larger get home plan it became apparent to me that consumables could be an issue if the absolute worst case happened and I had to walk the entire way or even walk in a less direct route. With weight of consumables one can get to a catch 22 place where carrying enough consumables means you will move slower and use/ need more consumables.

The concept of use is a pre positioned resupply of water and some food en route. Sort of a logistical speedball that is sitting ready to go. Water is darn heavy and you genuinely need it to survive.

I plan to put a gallon or a gallon and a half of water in the cache.

Also mostly because I'm putting something together anyway I want to include some food, medical stuff and other basic survival doo dads. Since weight/ bulk is not at a premium the food will probably be a few MRE's as well as a couple cans and some granola bars or something. The medical will likely be some ghetto trauma stuff (think tampon and duct tape) as well as a few each of pepto, benadryl and Tylenol and some baby wipes. The survival stuff will probably be a couple contractor bags,a hundred feet of 550 cord, a Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade, Black, 4.1-Inch
, a lighter and a couple ranger bands.

My intent is to put this mostly together from stuff I already have. I'll have to purchase a thing or two but the total cost should be under $25 most of which is the knife.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Urban Escape and Evasion
Glock 9mm or .40 if that is your thing($400)
Mags n ammo $100 (500) I'd like to have 3 mags and 100 rounds of ammo.
Burner cell phone $30 (530)
Knife, folding. A basic CRKT or Kershaw. Anything decent at that price $25 (555)
Backpack day/ kid school bag sized either cheap new one or better used one $25 (580)
Boots, surplus $20 (600)
Flashlight, small $20 (620)
Belt and holster $40 (660)
Good will clothes and hat $40 (700)
Cash in small bills $300 (1k)

Rural Escape and Evasion/ Minute Man back up
Military pattern rifle $500. Whichever AK or AR you can find first at this price point. Something like a Mini-14 would suffice.
Mags and ammo $150 (650). I'd like to have at least 5 or so mags and enough ammo to load them at least once.
Carry system for mags n such$30 (680). Probably ALICE though maybe you could piece together something with a FLIC MOLLE vest.
Basic gun cleaning stuff $20 (700). Probably a toothbrush, a rag and some lube.
Gently used boots, probably USGI issue. $20 (720)
Decent set of used clothes from the good will. Ideally good durable stuff in earth tones. Includes a hat and belt.$40 (760)
Poncho in earth tone. $30 (790)
Fleece, jacket and hat used or Wally World. In earth tone. $20 (810)
Grab and go food. Granola bars, a couple tuna pouches or whatever. $20 (830)
Cheap binoculars. $20 (850)
2x water bottles and 2 bottles of water purification stuff. $30 (880)
Backpack to put all this stuff in. $30 (910)
Medical kit. Very ghetto IFAK and a few feel good items like ibuprophen, bandaids, etc$20 (950)
Mora kniv $15 (965)
Remaining $35 can pad the gun and ammo budgets a bit.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The guy busting the chain securing the fence and baiting a bunch of Walkers into their little prison hidey hole is not boding well for this awkward roomie thing. I can't see myself accepting that sort of situation; one way or another somebody would have to go.

Rick's crew are getting settled into the prison which makes sense. One should strive to continually improve their situation in terms of security and comfort whenever possible. Seeing the prisoners out and about and potentially baiting them into a trap is not an indicator for good things to come. The group's discussion of what to do with these people is interesting.

On the bright side Rick's crew learned from their experiences at the farm and are staging their vehicles and presumably supplies to leave in a hurry if need be. Still as Commander Zero noted the group would really benefit from a system of caches. Even a little bit of food, some clothes, blankets and tools plus weapons if they could let them survive in a less unpleasant fashion if they have to e and e to get away from a Zombie horde.

The open gate turned out to be really ugly. The crew have a whole lot of perimeter to man and not a lot of folks to do it. This is a good reminder that an obstacle will only serve to delay enemies and only really do that well if covered by folks with guns.

T Dog getting bit is bad. Not just rather obviously for him but for the group. They are losing a strong healthy guy which are in short supply these days. Hopefully everybody else makes it but still bad.

The Governor hitting golf balls from that barrier reminds me of guy's driving balls off HESCO walls into the desert in Afghanistan.

Those sirens going off at the prison point to somebody with inside knowledge AKA one of the prisoners setting this up. To top off all of the awesomeness that is going on at the prison Lori seems to be giving birth.

It turns out that the guy Rick left for dead in the prison yard full of zombies didn't actually die. Seriously if movies and TV have taught you nothing do not ever leave somebody to die and assume they are dead. Take the time and put a bullet in their head, slit their throat, bash their skull in with a rock or otherwise make absolutely sure they are dead. The other prisoner saving Rick's life then handing over that big shiny Colt should earn some serious good will from the group. Taking in new people, especially convict's is iffy but they are running pretty short on healthy folks who can work and fight.

The C Section without anestesia on a prison floor during the Zombie Apocalypse was pretty graphic and a bit much for my pregnant wife.

Offing 3 main characters (T Dog, Carol and Lori if I saw it right) in a single episode was pretty nuts. It made SOA killing off Opie out of the blue seem minor in comparison. That is a lot of holes to fill and people will step up to fill roles and relationships will adjust to the new situation.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Lizard Farmer talks breaking contact and evading in the case that your home/ retreat/ compound/ bunker is overwhelmed. Lizard Farmer's words do not need to be rehashed but I have a few things to add. First I cannot tell you what would sort of situation would make you need to pull a runner. It is all METTC (mission, enemy, terrain, troops, time, civilians) dependent. Since I do not rely on acronyms I will spell it out in plain English. If you have a stone house that would stop anything short of an anti tank weapon with 600 meters of standoff and 12 shooters all of whom can ring 12" steel all day and night long at 600 meters and are being attacked by 4-5 goblins your situation is very different than a family with 2-3 shooters in a wood framed house that will not stop a .22 with 50 meters standoff being attacked by 8 goblins. I cannot say exactly what your bail out criteria should be but you would be well advised to put some thought into it. Second this is a reminder about the importance of caches. You don't want to die valiantly in place defending the doomstead. That is just really stupid. Either gather your tribe and take it back later or go someplace else, at least you and yours will still be alive.

This brings us back to caches.You are a lot less likely to do something stupid fighting an untenable situation and get your family killed (or worse) if all your food, weapons and equipment are not in the basement. Knowing there is ample food and equipment in caches or alternate locations will make the hard decision to abandon your home easier.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

First be in shape. This means being able to run fast for a short period, at a moderate pace for awhile and walk carrying a moderate load for many miles.

Second have good broken in boots. I know it is easy to say a splurge is worth it if you have the cash but low quality books cause all sorts of problems and generally fail to live up to basic expectations.

Third condition your feet to walking carrying a load while wearing boots. This is admittedly sort of a synthesis of the first two but it is it's own beast because running wearing light shoes (which would let you be in shape) does not translate into properly conditioned feet. Feet are a place where some folks are lucky and others are not. If you are lucky then just keep up with your general PT and wear broken in boots. Thankfully I fall into this group.

If someone using a higher speed form of transportation is following you there are really three options. First you can go where they cannot follow. This is a pretty desirable option though it only works if there is a widespread area sufficient in size to lose them or hide. A couple acre swamp or a single nasty ridge probably won't do it as a single exit point or two can be watched. The second option is to level the playing field. A horse or an ATV or a car is not hard to put out of action but armored vehicles are a lot more problematic. The third option would be to just hope that you can lose them. Think needle in haystack or a field full of haystacks. This is probably more of a hope than a plan. If there is a good line of sight or they have dogs this option really sucks.

Lastly knowing how to navigate and having the basic tools (compass and appropriate maps) to do so is essential. Hard to get away from somebody and get to wherever you are going without knowing where you are or in which direction you are headed.